Details:
Before you take a look at my bio, you can read here about what inspired every song on the CD. (Music clips not available on cdbaby can be found on my website, https://www.tradebit.com as well as lyrics to all of the songs.)

MY PRAYER:
I reached a point in my Christian existence where I thought, Lord, is this it? Is this all there is? Your word is filled with promises, and yet do I really have the faith to believe for them? Do I really trust that you hear me when I pray, and that you are a God who is still able to do the impossible? I began to plead with God to shake me from my mediocrity and complacency, and to increase my faith so that He could use me to see those same promises fulfilled. This song has become my heart's cry and my life's anthem.

HEAVEN:
This song was actually inspired by a passage in "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren that says...'The smile of God is the goal of your life." I often think about what it will be like to see Jesus face to face...and I cannot even fathom the disappointment we would both feel just knowing what I could have done with my life, but being reminded of what I chose to waste it on. Instead I want to approach Him with full confidence, knowing that I did everything I possibly could to fulfill the purpose for which I was created. At the end of it all, I just want Him to look at me with a big smile and say, 'Well done Shelly girl...well done."

ARMS OUTSTRETCHED:
I wrote this song for our church youth group during a summer explosion that was drawing about 150 kids every Friday night. Most of them were unchurched and from a tough area, so I wanted to give them a song that would speak in very simple terms about the unfailing love of God. I wanted them to know that He sees their scars, their fears, their failures, but that He still loves them, and is always waiting to embrace them with arms outstretched.

IN HIS HANDS:
Right around the time of the infamous Y2K conspiracy, =), I found myself starting to become very afraid of the unknown. It started with simply wondering what was going the happen when the clock struck 12, but from that, I found that fear was starting to penetrate every area of my life. I was afraid about the future. I was afraid of sickness. I was afraid that my loved ones were going to die. I was afraid about my finances. I was afraid during my first pregnancy. By the time September 11th came, I was so far over the edge, I was barely able to get in my car and drive. I had spent so much time dwelling on my fears, and letting them fester in my mind, that I had become totally paralyzed by them. Fear is insidious like that because it starts with just a fleeting thought, or a little worry, but if you give it a footstool in your life, it will control you. What I had to do was recognize that God truly does not give us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and soundness of mind. So if He doesn't give it to us, who does? BINGO. So I began to pray against the enemy and to quote scripture every time something came up and triggered a fear. I found that it was easier for me to sing scripture than to say it, so I wrote this song as a sort of battle cry. Thanks to God, I can honestly say that I have been totally delivered from my fears and now live with complete peace and in total victory, just like God always intended.

SPEAK OF YOUR NAME:
This song is about the urgency of missions, whether across the street or across the world. This is probably just a Hollywood thing, but I always picture that when we're waiting to be judged by the Lord, that we're kind of standing on this long line, with people we know milling around and waiting with us. I don't know what that day is actually going to look like, but I get absolutely sick just thinking about seeing someone that I knew on earth being turned away from heaven because I didn't take the time to share Jesus with them. How could I look that person in the eye and try to explain why....?

HOLY SPIRIT COME:
This song was written in a very dry season of my life, when I was becoming so desperate for the Holy Spirit to move in me again. Since then I have learned that there are times when the Lord withdraws from us a little bit, in order to test our faithfulness. He is always with us, but there are times when it is so hard to feel Him. Those are the times that we really need to continue in our obedience and to press on in faith. If we can learn to trust Him when He is silent, He will trust us enough to give us greater responsibilities in His kingdom.

Clips of the following songs can be heard on https://www.tradebit.com.

COME INTO HIS GATES:
I wanted to write a sort of contemporary version of the classic "I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart..." They say that after you hear a song approximately 50 times, you begin singing it without really understanding what you're saying. You kind of just go through the motions. So I thought it was time to find a new melody for an old favorite and bring this scripture back to life!

WRAP ME UP:
Once you have truly experienced the presence of God in a way that is almost tangible, there's no turning back. It's kind of like a little glimpse of heaven. Once you've tasted it, you just have to keep coming back for more. There's nothing like being wrapped up in His presence. =)

YOU LOVED ME:
Looking back on my life, I am just amazed how God's hand was so obviously involved in everything I've ever experienced. Even in the womb He knew my name and set me apart for His purposes. He created me with a destiny and He has given me a lifetime not only to understand my destiny, but to thrive in it. God is so merciful that even our worst mistakes and failures can be turned around for good, all with the purpose of creating in us the children of God we were destined to become.

Conveniently, this is a good lead in to my bio. Hope you enjoyed my stories. =)

BIOGRAPHY

"I believe that from the moment we were conceived, God formed in each of us a destiny, a specific purpose for being, and 'life' is the opportunity we've been given to find that destiny.

When we take the time to listen for God's voice and allow Him to work unreservedly in our lives, we begin to realize that every experience, every relationship, every triumph, every hardship.....is all part of His divine plan to create in us the people we were destined to become. When we learn to see his hand even in life's little 'coincidences,' and recognize the gifts He's imparted to us, we discover our true role in the body of Christ, and experience the joy and fulfillment that brings.

The songs I've written come directly from the experiences I have faced in my own journey toward Christ and His purpose.....the valleys, the mountain tops, the questions, and ultimately the answers. My music reflects my own transparency, and its honesty comes straight from the heart.

I pray that my music will inspire its listeners to enter into a deeper intimacy with Christ, and encourage them to seek out and embrace their own God given destinies." - Michele

Michele McGovern is an anointed worship leader whose music is inspired both by scriptural truths and personal experiences. She has a unique vocal quality characterized by her earthy tone and contralto range. Her style is a distinctive fusion of pop, rock, gospel, and blues.

Michele is currently an associate worship leader at her local church in Long Island, New York where God is actively working in her life and ministry. After many years of running from God's purpose for her life, Michele has finally discovered the peace and fulfillment that can only be found through obedience to His will. She is also learning that total freedom can only be experienced through total surrender. As Michele continues to rely on the strength and grace of God to carry out His will, He is using her powerfully to lead His people into a deeper, more intimate place of worship. She is humbled by the opportunity to serve Him in this way.

Michele firmly believes in the power of music to inspire worship, to encourage believers, to edify the body, and to draw souls to Christ. However, this power can only be ignited when God is given the freedom to inspire words and melodies in the hearts of musicians who are totally and completely yielded to him.

Although Michele has been writing music for over ten years, it was not until October of 2003 that she clearly felt the call to bring what God has given her to a larger audience. It was never God's intention for her to keep her music to herself, but before He could begin opening doors, He had to first take her through a season of testing and withdrawing so that she might develop her character, becoming "mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 2:4) Now in a new and fruitful season, she is doing everything possible to see that the Lord's will is accomplished.

Her mission is simply to spread the word of God through the music He has given her. She is confident that as she continues to wait on the Him for direction, the Lord will determine her steps, and bring exactly the right people together to accomplish His purposes. Whether or not that entails being signed to a record label is inconsequential so long as her music can be distributed to those whose lives are destined to be changed by it.

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